Xie Lanzhi looked up and sighed, "It should be under your control."
She's not entirely sure if her methods are still effective.
Seeing that she was looking downcast again, Si Xitong was about to speak when Xie Bing's panicked voice came from the outer courtyard: "Something's wrong, something's wrong!"
"The young general's flintlock pistol misfired?!"
"What?" Xie Lanzhi immediately got up and went out of the house when she heard that Shang Guang was in trouble.
When Xie Bing saw her, he exclaimed in horror, "Marshal, the young general accidentally discharged his gun while cleaning it today and almost shot himself in the groin."
"Luckily, I wasn't really hurt."
Xie Lanzhi stared wide-eyed, repeatedly confirming the facts, which made Xie Bing feel extremely frightened.
Finally, Xie Lanzhi ordered him: "Make him return the gun that I gave you, and you can all go back to Tianjing with Madam Lu and her daughter."
"Why, why?" Xie Bing had heard that the Hu Xiongnu cavalry had swept through Huayin. Now that they were gone, how could General Ma Hong's nine thousand men possibly withstand them? And those new recruits had no fighting ability at all; once they went to the battlefield, they would surely be cannon fodder.
"There aren't so many whys!" Xie Lanzhi knew that Xie Bing and his ilk had taken advantage of her good fortune to some extent; they had enjoyed happiness before, but now they would surely suffer. To prevent a repeat of the tragedy, she could only keep these people away from her.
Xie Bing dared not doubt it and had no choice but to do it.
Xie Bing left only four hundred-odd people here, so it didn't really matter whether he left or not.
Si Xitong then came out and heard Xie Lanzhi give an order.
She said, "Shang Guang may have been careless; you don't have to take all the blame upon yourself."
"It's better to be safe than sorry." Xie Lanzhi looked up and pinched her brow, trying to clear her head. Lately, she'd been having a lot of dreams, dreaming that she was back in modern times, seeing Ai Min, and Ai Min was introducing her to her author friend. Every time she tried to see what the author looked like, the author's face was just a blur.
As the saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. Perhaps influenced by Aqina, she would subconsciously speculate about Emin's author friend from time to time.
She continued, "Whether Apochon's cavalry is as we guessed, we'll only know when they arrive in three days."
Si Xitong said, "Ma Hong will be keeping an eye on things, so you don't need to worry."
The two of them actually already knew what was going on.
When Xie Shangguang heard that he had been sent back to Tianjing by the marshal, he was initially quite gloomy. However, when they were exchanging flintlock pistols under the tree, every time he touched it, or someone else touched it, a beehive would fall from the tree, stinging them until their eyes were swollen and their faces were swollen.
Now, not only Xie Shangguang, but all the other Xie soldiers began to avoid this flintlock musket like the plague.
I just felt that this gun was cursed.
In the end, the flintlock musket was returned by the newly recruited army.
The newly recruited soldiers felt that these Xie soldiers had been acting strangely lately, falling into pits while patrolling the mountain, falling into pits while going down the mountain, and even rolling down the mountain with a group of people.
It's incredibly unlucky to have come to my grandma's house. They won't even open the door.
Strangely, the flintlock musket was treated like an ordinary piece of iron in the hands of the newly recruited soldiers and was sent to the county government office.
Xie Shangguang took Xie Bing and Lu Qing and her daughter back by boat. Lu Qing and her daughter consciously avoided Xie Shangguang and took another boat. As it turned out, Xie's boat ran aground and broke, leaving them without a boat and having to wait for a new one to pick them up.
Xie Shangguang and his companions remained on a mountain island, where they were attacked by a pack of wolves at night and nearly suffered casualties.
At this moment, Xie Shangguang finally realized with horror how many people the marshal's bad luck had affected. Could it be that the entire Xie family had been tainted by this bad luck to some extent?
In fact, Xie Shangguang guessed correctly.
Xie Guang finally recovered from his illness and was able to eat again, so he ate several bowls of rice and drank a pot of porridge in the evening. As a result, he bumped into a stone and lost a front tooth.
Xie Xia was even more unlucky. He originally wanted to return to Weidu, but his boat was punctured by thieves. On his way back home, he encountered two shrewish women arguing in the street and was splashed with urine.
Furthermore, Xie Fengling had just recovered from her illness and went out when a woman mistook her for a mistress and dragged her to Haiyun's place to complain.
After Xie Fengling finally cleared her name and left the mansion, she returned to the North Gate, only to find that the North Gate had collapsed, burying her and the Xie family guards on the ground.
Xie Cuicui and Lu Ping's Si Maogong had a fight. Si Maogong found a piece of gold. Xie Cuicui cut her lip, and Si Maogong found another piece of gold.
This made Xie Cuicui suspect that her fiancé was behind it. Si Maogong had no way to explain himself. His fiancée had been particularly unlucky this year for some reason. But he had been exceptionally lucky this year. Not only did the Jin region have a bumper harvest, but he also found gold wherever he went. It was as if the God of Wealth was protecting him, and he had good luck everywhere.
This year, the Sibo family also welcomed twins, a boy and a girl.
Si Xinian successfully found evidence that the Duke of Zheng had embezzled military funds and purchased weapons. The Duke of Zheng's son, Zheng Yiyong'an Hou, betrayed him and helped Si Xinian to take over Bingzhou in one fell swoop.
Bingzhou is currently under the temporary administration of Si Xi Nian and Zheng Yi.
Then there's Si Caifeng, who's far away in the capital. She found out she's three months pregnant this month, and Yelü Lili is constantly doting on her, even putting off Bei Luo's demand that he immediately marry another concubine. Apart from the Xie family, everyone seems to be having good luck.
Just as Xie Guang was about to leave his house when the plaque of his residence smashed his head, the people of the Southern Central Plains finally believed that the Xie family was cursed and always suffered bloodshed and great misfortune.
Aside from the recent floods that killed many members of the Xie family, they've had some bad luck lately, but at least their lives aren't in danger. It's just that their bad luck is outrageous.
The Xie family even wrote a joint letter to Xie Lanzhi about this.
Xie Lanzhi learned that everyone in the clan was having a bad time; even a three-year-old child could get malt sugar stuck in his mouth, and an eighty-year-old grandmother was losing her teeth from drinking porridge.
She was immediately plunged into a shadow, squatting by the wall and drawing circles. Si Xitong, who was standing beside her, went from feeling sorry for her to being numb.
At this time, there was finally new news from the Huayin State Coal Mine.
An Yi led the Restoration Army to defend the stone fortress built in the heart of the coal mine against Apoqi's ten thousand iron cavalry, but they didn't even see Apoqi's iron cavalry. Instead, an earthquake struck, the surrounding area trembled and shook, the coal mine collapsed frequently, and even the nearby mountaintops tumbled down due to the tremors.
The earthquake lasted only half an incense stick's time.
A wounded scout from the front lines of the restoration army arrived, his expression a mixture of shock and relief at having survived such a close call. He choked back tears as he cried out, "Your Majesty, Heaven blesses Huayin! Heaven blesses the ruler of Anyi!!!"
An Yi helped the scout up and told him to calm down.
But the scout was far from calm. Overjoyed by this momentous event, he excitedly announced, "Your Majesty, the canyon has been split open by an earthquake, and all the cavalry have been instantly... submerged by the rocks!"
Chapter 148 She Conquered the Kingdom of Huayin
The death of 10,000 Apochon cavalrymen in the canyon shocked the world.
The Restoration Army and the people of Huayin kowtowed to Heaven, believing that they were under Heaven's protection and destined to restore their country.
Anyi has once again proven that its national destiny is in its prime.
Si Xitong and Xie Lanzhi both proved their guesses.
As expected, Archina knew how to avoid harm and seek advantage. Before leaving, he even tricked his political enemies by using the prophet storyline to kill his brother.
Xie Lanzhi heard that Apoqi's body hadn't even been found; he and the other cavalrymen had been crushed into a bloody pulp, a scene even more horrific than any ordinary battlefield. And since she was so unlucky, Aqina must have fared much worse.
The Xie family suffered misfortune because they had taken advantage of her luck, so anyone who had taken advantage of Aqina's luck would also surely suffer misfortune.
However, that wasn't her concern. Now, Anyi was blessed with divine assistance, and the people's support was at an unprecedented level. The agreement previously signed with the Northern Prefecture regarding Jinghua Prefecture would be void if the Huayin Kingdom refused to recognize it.
This country does not belong to Anyi alone. Even if she recognizes the independent status of Jinghua Prefecture, the gentry of Huayin Kingdom will not agree.
If you've finally driven away a powerful enemy and are now in charge, how can you let another one ride on your neck and boss you around?
Watching her beloved wife bustling about, Xie Lanzhi felt a pang of heartache in her eyes, thinking that even without resorting to force, there must be other ways.
Now that Anyi has been restored and most of its territory has been reclaimed, Queen Azi will naturally be welcomed back to the main palace in Huayin.
Before returning to the palace, Azi first visited Si Xitong.
Si Xitong held a farewell banquet at the county government office and personally entertained her, along with an envoy from Huayin Kingdom.
Azi accepted the farewell banquet, and finally put her wine glass on the table. She made a request: "Sister, I want to meet your husband."
Si Xitong's eyes flickered slightly, containing a sharp glint. Ever since her imperial destiny first appeared, her eyebrows and eyes were like the moon, her complexion was cold and beautiful, but her black eyes were clear and transparent, making it impossible to see any emotion.
She said, "Azi."
Azi looked at her with complicated emotions. She told the envoy from Huayin Kingdom to leave. The envoy hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked out of the county office.
Azi bowed deeply to Sixi Tong, saying, "This bow is to express my gratitude to you, sister, for saving my life and for Anyi."
“Sister.” As Azi changed the subject, her tone gradually became more serious: “I am not well-versed in court politics, but I do know how serious it is.”
"For the Huayin gentry, my motherland is Yue. Moreover, when Huayin was in trouble, Yue allowed Anshan to pass through to return home. This action will inevitably be seized upon by the Huayin gentry."
“Anyi is definitely on my sister’s side, so I’m not worried, but…”
Si Xitong interrupted her at the right moment. She turned around, picked up the wine pot, walked to A Zi's table, and poured wine. The sound of water flowing into the cup was long and orderly until it was full.
She slammed the wine pot down, her voice sharp: "Azi, my sisterly bond with you will never change, just like my bond with Anyi."
"The initiative is in your hands."
As she was leaving, she said, "Go back to your country."
Azi was slightly taken aback. Before she could fully grasp the meaning behind her words, she was sent out of the county office. Afterwards, Ma Hong led a thousand men to carry Azi down the mountain in a sedan chair.
After Azi left Jinghua Prefecture and Ma Hong handed over the troops of Huayin Kingdom, Ma Hong returned to Jinghua Prefecture.
The envoy from Huayin immediately said to Azi, "Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I am not sure if I should."
Azi slowly turned her head, her heart sinking as she listened to words she didn't want to hear.
"Your Majesty, Jinghua Prefecture is part of Huayin Kingdom's territory. The warriors of Huayin must not only reclaim Beifu, but also take back Jinghua Prefecture, which they have ceded."
Upon hearing this, Azi felt a surge of panic. She gripped her handkerchief tightly with both hands and almost instinctively said in fear, "No, no!"
Upon hearing this, the envoy from Huayin Kingdom felt a surge of disdain. "As expected of a traitorous woman who betrays her country," he thought. "And a Yue person at that? How could a Yue person understand the pain of Huayin Kingdom losing its homeland? Perhaps the Queen never even considered Huayin Kingdom her own territory."
Indeed, the position of queen should not be held by such a woman; a virtuous person should be appointed instead.
The envoy from Huayin Kingdom immediately turned cold towards Queen Azi.
At this moment, Azi was terrified, but she suddenly came to her senses and understood what her sister meant.
"My sisterly bond with you will never change, just like my bond with Anyi."
"The initiative is in your hands."
So that's what my sister meant. Whether or not there's still any affection between them depends on them. If Anyi resolutely chooses to restore the kingdom... then they'll have to choose between their sisters first.
Azi left in a daze.
In front of the county government office, Xie Lanzhi paced back and forth for a while before deciding to go in and see Little Phoenix.
As soon as she entered, she saw Si Xitong and Ma Hong had hastily set up a table with a map on it. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a map of the Huayin Kingdom.
Ma Hong immediately bowed to her and said, "Greetings, Marshal."
Xie Lanzhi nodded.
Si Xitong took the initiative to say to her, "Lanzhi, I have decided to attack Huayin Kingdom in three days."